Learning To Trust
by preston-gal
Summary: Stella is finally learning to trust a certain blue eyed detective. Fiesta.


Thanks to Aphina who beta-ed this and did a great job. The beginning is my personal opinion and I hope no-one takes offence. I was actually trying to start a different story when I wrote this but hey I'll try again with writing to first one.

Disclaimer: I do not own or make any money from using these characters.

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Trust is the firm belief that a person or thing may be relied upon. It is forged at the moment of birth between parent and child.

As a child you trust your parents will pick you up when you fall off your bike, that they will support you on your first day of school or will teach you the skills needed to survive in this crazy world. You believe that your first friend will be your best friend and they usually are up until you become a teenager and become part of different cycles of friends.

However, not every child is able to forge this trust with their parents and friends. Those who lose their parents either by natural causes or through murder/suicide feel this trust has been broken and young children especially don't often understand and feel that they have been abandoned. It is hard for them to learn to trust others in case they leave, which is what happens when your in an orphanage or in foster care each day someone arrives and someone leaves taking with them a little piece of trust that you have placed in the world; that everything will be alright.

For Stella Bonasera it had taken until her mid-twenties, when she had joined the crime lab from the beat, until she had found someone to confide in and trust whole heartedly; that person being Mac Taylor. Recently though, she and a certain Detective Don Flack Jr. had become almost inseparable both at scenes or in the rare free time they had. At work Stella trusted Don with her life**, **she had to. He made sure scenes were secure and the area clear, of course there were always the few criminals that slip below the radar but it came with the territory. Outside of work was a different matter, she didn't seem to trust herself or her instincts, she was always second guessing what she did and heard.

"Knock knock" Don grinned as he tapped lightly on the glass door that separated the office that Danny, Lindsay, Stella and Hawkes shared, away from the rest of the lab.

"Detective Flack, what do I owe the pleasure ?" Stella asked smiling as she looked up from the case file on the desk in front of her.

Don perched on the edge of her desk. "I need something Stella. The DA is pressuring for a conviction,"

"I'm still waiting for DNA but I don't believe he did it Don," Stella sat leaning back in her chair, her emerald eyes meeting his cerulean pair.

"All the evidence points to him Stel, you know that," Don replied

"I know, I've got this feeling but we'll see when the DNA is back," Stella said, her face showing that she was thinking about the evidence that she had collected and the results trying to find a fault. "Anyway you can't tell Mac, you know how much he despises 'feelings'"

"Hey you secret is safe with me," Don laughed, "I'm off shift now and I know yours is finished so how about a drink?" he asked praying that his nerves weren't apparent in his voice.

"And here I was thinking you came for your DNA results, your a sly man Det. Flack," Stella remarked with a wink.

"Well I know for a fact that the DA is at home, where both of us should be and I don't particularly want to wake him," Don replied getting up off of the edge of Stella's desk, "So how 'bout a couple of beers before we turn in?"

Stella was about to consider her options but suddenly stopped. Don was her friend and her partner she shouldn't have to think about whether she wants to spend the night getting wasted in a bar with him, it should be a straight forward yes.

"Sure."

It was a very simple answer but Don felt as if his heart would burst through his rib cage, it had taken less than a minute for Stella to deliberate a world record for her. In Don's opinion she was finally starting to trust him like she trusted Mac. He helped her put on her jacket and patiently waited for her to gather her things and leave a couple of memos for tomorrow before they walked out of the lab.

"Is Mac still here?" she asked as they stepped in the elevator,

Don shook his head "No I saw him leave hours ago said somethin' 'bout a date,"

Stella smiled happy that her friend had finally found someone that was worth his time after the hard break up with Peytonthe previous year. "Good. I'm glad he's found someone outside the lab,"

"What about you?" Don asked a little to quickly and instantly regretted it knowing full well about her last boyfriends.

"If you don't remember Don my last boyfriend tried to kill me and the last man that was interested in me also tried to kill me to spite Mac. So I'm in no big hurry to start dating." Stella sarcastically as the elevator doors closed.

Don took a deep breath, resting his head against the back wall of the elevator, closing his eyes. Images of a vulnerable and broken Stella sat in the hospital bed that Frankie had placed her in flooded his mind making him cringe, wishing he would never ever have to see that sight again. After a bad day those images would fill his mind causing sleep to evade him. Sometimes his nightmares would replay the point where he and Mac broke into her apartment but instead of Frankie laying dead on the rug it was her. The following day after a nightmare like that he wouldn't leave Stella's side and would draw strength that she was still alive andsuch an important part of his life.

* * *

Across the street at the police bar, Stella managed to grab a table next to the window while Flack got them both a beer.

"So how's your love life going?" Stella asked taking a sip of her beer it was her turn to dive into his personal life, "Are you still dating Devon?"

Don was a bit surprised that Stella remembered the name of his ex-girlfriend but at the same time he kind of expected her to know, she had the memory of an elephant.

"No. We broke up after the case with the Bond impersonators," Don replied, "She said that the party was the final straw and that my attention was with someone else,"

Stella tried to look sympathetic but the investigator in her wanted to know who this 'someone else' was.

"Do you agree with her?" Stella asked leaning forward slightly, folding her arms on the table.

"At first I didn't but now...I think she was right," Don answered his voice becoming huskier as he finished his sentence, his eyes showing the underlying passion for the woman across from him, scaring Stella a little.

They sat in silence for a couple of seconds neither knowing what to say each just drinking their beers and stealing glances at each other.

"Stel, do you trust me?" Don asked looking at the beautiful woman before him,

"Of course I trust you Don. I trust you with my life everyday," Stella replied unsure as to why he asked the question when he knew the answer.

"Okay. But outside of work, do you trust me?"

"I'm not sure what you mean" Stella said her face showing her confusion,

Don took her hands in his and took a deep breath, "Look Stella, you're the person Devon was jealous of. She knew you were the one who was with me at the ball and that it was you I couldn't take my eyes off and I don't think that I can carry on being able to look but not touch,"

Stella was left speechless, she knew she and Don had been getting closer over recent months and it would be a lie to say there wasn't an attraction between the two but what she was only just realising was how deep that attraction ran.

'Don't fuck this up Stella. This what you've waited for,' Stella thought to herself trying to think of a response to Don's confession.

On the other hand, Don was panicking, he was sure that he had just ruined his perfectfriendship with Stella by blurting out his feelings.

'What have I done,' he thought as Stella struggled to respond however, Don wasn't about to hang around to face rejection and stood up. His plan was to walk out and avoid Stella now until the day he retired and to never speak of this moment again.

'It's now or never' Stella thought as she watched Don get up, ready to bolt out of the bar. Surprising both Don and herself she grabbed her friend by the collar of his shirt to stop him from running past her.

"Stella I'm s..." Don started to say, but Stella silenced him by planting her lips on his.

"Shut up Flack. Just shut up" Stella said breaking the kiss only for Don to gather her up in his arms and kiss her again with a ferocious passion.

They managed to part their lips for fear they would both run out of oxygen and Stella released her grip on his collar laughing and placed herforeheadon his chest finally realising that she had found someone who she could trust open heartedly and would do everything humanly possible to prevent her from being burnt once more.

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You know what to do. I still want reviews even if this is a one-shot!


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